


Wāwahi (Breaking)

by Mystic_Shadows



Series: Konagona [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Bow - Freeform, Buried Alive, Chains, Chipped Sea Hawk, Dehydration, Drowning, Electrocution, F/M, Gaslighting, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Mind Control, Minor Catradora, Queen Glimmer (She-Ra), Starvation, Strangulation, adora - Freeform, catra - Freeform, chipped mermista
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 14,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25916914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mystic_Shadows/pseuds/Mystic_Shadows
Summary: The Etherians broke the chips' control. Etheria has magic.Prime wants to fix both of those. And he has a victim to help him.
Relationships: Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra)
Series: Konagona [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043466
Comments: 42
Kudos: 32





	1. Kidnapped

**Author's Note:**

> I have a long fic in the works, so what do I do?  
> I start another one.
> 
> Notes: this is an AU. The AU comes from a couple of things, one being that Sea Hawk is chipped, not Mermista. The other you'll find out. Horde Prime may be ooc, he's kinda hard to write.
> 
> It starts off pretty dark, with the first few paragraphs talking about strangling/not being able to breathe. If it is a trigger, jump to the ****. There will be referenced/implied torture. I'll try to put warnings before each chapter.  
> If you need me to tag anything I miss, let me know.
> 
> I think that's it. Enjoy the chapter!  
> I'll be adding tags as I go along.  
> _____________________________________________________

She couldn't see him anywhere. As she knocked out 2 more of the clones, Mermista glanced around to find Sea Hawk. Unable to find him, she turned back to fighting the clones, still periodically scanning the battlefield. Suddenly, she felt something close around her neck and pull tight. Dropping her Trident, she started clawing at whatever was around her neck. 

"Shhhh, sweetest. It'll be over soon, I promise." A voice whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened as she recognized the voice. Her lungs were beginning to burn and she attempted to turn around to face the voice head-on. The voice chuckled and simply pulled harder. With dots beginning to cloud her eyes and lungs begging for air, she swept her foot backwards to try to knock the person off their feet. She succeeded and they both ended up on the ground, the person underneath Mermista, and the noose around her neck loosened. Mermista tried to scramble to her feet, gasping for air and attempting to escape, when the person pulled again, tightening the noose.

They rolled around for a few seconds, Mermistas' lungs again begging for air. She ended up below the person, face down, wrists trapped above her, held in a tight grip. "I'm sorry, sweetest. I tried to make it easy for you. It would have been over much sooner had you not fought back." The voice reached her through the haze. The dots that had been clouding her eyes turned into a dark curtain as she fell unconscious.

*****************************************************

Sea Hawk held the bandana around her neck for a few seconds more, making sure that she was not faking it. Once he was convinced she was out, he removed the bandana from her neck and picked her up, carrying her bridal-style to the ship hidden a few miles out. Once he got to the ship, he laid her carefully on the table in the middle of the room. There was a bag nearby-one of the clones must have put it there, as it wasn't there when he left. He checked the bag and found a few pieces of rope. Confused, he looks at them for a minute.

_ You need to tie her up. Otherwise, she'll attack you. _ The voice of Prime echoed in his head. Sea Hawk frowned. Mermista wouldn't hurt him.  _ Even if she wouldn't attack you, which is something I find hard to believe, considering how often you annoy her, it will be safer if she's tied up. We don't want her crashing around the room while you come back, do we? _ Following the rest of the directions, he pulled Mermistas' arms down and under the table, tying her wrists together underneath it. He did the same thing with the ankles, then tied her wrists to her ankles. 

_ Good job.  _ The voice echoed again.  _ Clone XJ-255 will fly the ship back. You will arrive here in precisely 2.34 hours. Now, I realize that as a weak Etherian, you require sleep. You are allowed to sleep for 2.00 hours. Before you fall asleep, you should gag her. We don't want you waking up too early. _ Sea Hawk used his bandana to gag her, making sure it was tight, but still allowed her to breathe. Sea Hawk curled up in the corner and fell asleep quite quickly. 

Her head was pounding. She opened her eyes and winced when the bright lights hit them. She attempted to rub her eyes, then realized she couldn't move her arms, and that her shoulders were hurting. She turned her head and saw Sea Hawk in the corner. Attempting to say his name, that was when she realized she was gagged. She turned her head the other way and saw a clone flying whatever she ended up in, probably a ship. She narrowed her eyes at him and attempted to reach out for the water. 

The clone turned around and saw she was awake. He messed with some buttons, then walked over to her. "Soon we will welcome you to the Light, but not yet. Lord Prime says have a good night." Then he jabbed something into her neck. Mermista slipped back into darkness. The clone turned around and went back to flying.

Exactly 2.00 hours later, Sea Hawk was up and staring at Mermista.  _ Do not worry, child. She woke up earlier, but I believed it best to put her back to sleep.  _ Sea Hawk cocks his head at her, then leaves her be to go stand by the clone as they approach the Mother Ship. 

They dock and Sea Hawk turned around and untied Mermista from the table and then retied her. He carried her to the room that Prime had said was hers. He laid her on the bed, and tied her still bound wrists to the headboard and her ankles to the footboard.  _ You will now leave her alone. Do not come back to this section of the ship.  _ Sea Hawk turned around and left, casting one last look back at her. 

Mermista attempted to groan as her awareness came back. Her head was pounding, her neck hurt, her whole body ached. She attempted to turn over so she could go back to sleep and was stopped as something pulled at her wrists. She noticed her arms above her head and looked up to find that she was tied to the bed. She went to yell and all that came out was muffled groans. A voice filled the room.

"Ah, you are finally up. Just in time for dinner. Don't worry, XT-777 is on the way to escort you to the dinner table."

Mermista glared around the room and noticed a Hordak clone standing by the forcefield. He came over and untied her from the bed, but kept her wrists and ankles bound together. They shuffled their way out of the room and down the hallway to the dining room. The clone sat her at one end and untied her wrists from her ankles. She tried to take advantage to lunge out of the chair and bodycheck the clone, but was stopped as a mechanical belt came out of the chair and encircled her body. The clone waited until she was contained again and then proceeded to untie her wrists. 

Mermista tried to swipe at him and he avoided her hands, then shackles erupted from the table and clicked around her wrists, pulling them down. She tugged and pulled at them. She looked up at Horde Prime as he sat at the other end. 

"Welcome, Princess Mermista. Thank you for attending this dinner. How was the flight?" Muffled sounds were the response. "Oh, I apologize. I didn't realize they had not yet removed that." Clone XT-777 moved up to her and untied the bandana from her mouth. "Better, Princess?"

"Uh, yeah. The flight was horrible. Way too rough." She rattled the shackles. "Can you take these off?"

"I apologize, Princess, but no. I have no guarantee that you won't throw something at me if I free your wrists." Horde Prime shook his head.

"Oh, I totally would throw something at you. That's why I want them off." Mermista let her eyes wander around the room. Most of the room was a plain white, except for the wall behind Prime. "Soooo….why did you kidnap me?"

"Oh, straight to business, then? I will tell you, but first: I was informed that you eat fish, correct? I have a wonderful selection today: it's called bluefin tuna. A delicacy from planet 12025. I believe you'll like it."

Mermista looked down and eyed the food in front of her. "And you want me to eat with my hands?"

"Yes. You see, I don't trust you with a knife." Horde Prime cut a piece of the fish and popped it in his mouth as Mermista tore a piece off. They finish the food in silence. Once done and the dishes cleared off, Horde Prime leaned forward, head resting on interlocked hands. "Now. Business. I am requesting your assistance."

"My assistance? And what makes you think I'll help?" Mermista asked while she examined the shackles closely.

"While I would prefer it to be willing, you'll help either way." Horde Prime snapped his fingers and a picture of Sea Hawk appeared on the wall behind him. Her eyes widened and a gasp slipped out. "You see, I know you care about your Sea Hawk. He is fine and will remain so as long as you cooperate."

Mermista narrowed her eyes and glared at Prime. "Let him go. Now."

"I will let him go...if you cooperate." Mermista stared at him for a few minutes, then slowly nodded. "Excellent. I knew you'd see it my way. Now, helping me will be easy. You see, your planet is full of magic, the first I've seen in quite awhile. All I'm going to do is ask some questions, take some blood, nothing that will permanently harm you. But not tonight. You need your rest from the flight. We'll start tomorrow." Horde Prime snapped his fingers and the clone in the corner came forward. "He will remove the rope once you get back to your room." The shackles clicked open and she swiped at the clone as he attempted to tie her wrists together. "Please cooperate, Princess. Otherwise, well. Your Sea Hawk is fond of fire, is he not?" Mermista stared at him as the clone tied her wrists together. "I knew you'd see it my way. Sleep tight, Princess."

Mermista and the clone shuffled their way back to the room. Once they got there and the clone opened the forcefield, he untied her wrists and ankles, then pushed her into the room and raised the forcefield back up. She lunged towards it to hit it with her hand, attempting to make the clone jump. The clone looked at her, then turned and left. Mermista stood there for a few minutes, then walked over and climbed into the bed. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head in the small space in-between. 


	2. Boredom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Small filler chapter again. I'm moving this weekend, so nothing new until next weekend.
> 
> I don't think anything needs tagged here. 
> 
> I will be taking Liberties with how Magic works.

She awoke up to the sound of metal screeching on metal. She sat up and looked around, noticing a tray by the forcefield. She walked over to it and poked at the gray stuff on the tray. Noticing a piece of paper by the gray food, she picked it up and scanned it. It had questions on it, asking about how she got her powers, how were they used and so on. She dropped the paper back on the tray and downed the half-a-glass of water on the tray. She went back to the bed and laid back down. She closed her eyes and Searched for any water around. There was something that Felt like water, but was not water. 

She growled, opening her eyes. The only water nearby was the Not-Water she was semi-Feeling, but she wasn't able to do anything with it. She rolled over and noticed that the tray was gone.

She got up and approached the forcefield, reaching out to touch it. Feeling a zap, she pulled her hand back and started inspecting where the forcefield and walls met. She went around, inspecting the whole room, looking for weak spots. Licking chapped lips, she dropped to the floor to look under the bed. Realizing that there were no weak spots, she got up and blinked away the black spots clouding her vision. She sat on the bed and glared at the forcefield. She jumped when a voice filled the room.

"Now, now, Princess. You promised you would assist me. I realize that the... indignities you suffered yesterday may have distracted you from the agreement. I will give you another chance."

She scoffed. "Indignities is a funny way to describe kidnapping. Besides, we won't be here long enough to help you."

"We?...Ahh, you believe that you can rescue your Sea Hawk. How amusing. Now. You will fill out the paper or there will be consequences." 

She glared around the room. "I thought you said you would let him go." There was no response. Groaning, she laid back on the bed again. Her eyes slipped close.


	3. Repetition and Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prime and Mermista talk again. A special guest makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, trigger/content warnings. This fic is dark. This chapter references starvation/dehydration, though you do have to kinda squint to see it. Gaslighting. There is gaslighting in this chapter. Cussing. 
> 
> If anything else needs tagged, let me know, but I think that's it for this chapter.

She woke again to the sound of metal on metal. Rolling towards the forcefield, she blinked until it came into focus. The tray with the gray stuff was back as was the piece of paper. She walked over, downed the accompanying half-full glass of water. She tried a bite of the gray food and made a face. Ignoring the food, she grabbed the pencil and the piece of paper. 

She groaned as she read the question.  _ How do you get your power? _

"I hate paperwork." She grumbled as she wrote. Eventually, she finished writing. Standing up, she stumbled into the wall. She trudged to the bed, eyes closing as soon as she fell in.

  
  


Prime watched as the Princess fell into the bed, having still not eaten that day. He ordered a clone to bring the paper back and leave the tray in the room. He perused the paper, eyes narrowing. He looked back at the screen and waved his hand. The screen split in two, one side showing the princess. The other side showed the male he had chipped, the one he knew she cared for. Tapping his fingers, he watched them for a few minutes. He glanced between the paper and the screen a few times, then smiled.

Days passed in a blur of repetition. Mermista would wake up to the tray inside the room, down the accompanying half-full glass of water, nibble at the food, and sleep.

She flinched in surprise as the voice echoed through the room, breaking the silence. She hadn't heard another being in...quite awhile. She frowned as she tried to figure out how long it had been.

_ Princess, your presence is requested for dinner. Clone XT-777 will escort you shortly. _

She glared around the room, but waited by the forcefield. When the clone arrived, she thought about tackling him, but decided against it. Her head was spinning and she didn't think she'd be able to fight multiple clones. They arrived at the room and she sat in the same seat as last time. Unlike last time, however, no metal band came to secure her to the chair. 

"Ah, thank you for accepting my invite, Princess."

She glared at him. "Not like I had much of a choice."

Prime ignored the comment. "I have a guest that I believe you will be... interested in seeing." He snapped his fingers and a figure appeared.

"Sea Hawk!" His name slipped out in a gasp as he sat down in a seat across from her. He nodded at her, then looked at Prime. Mermista did the same. "I thought you said you were going to release him." 

"If you cooperated."

"I filled out the dang paperwork. Which, really? Paperwork?"

A frown tugged at his lips. "I believed it would be easier for you to organize your thoughts. Although I didn't appreciate the end." Mermista smirked as she remembered writing down  _ FUCK YOU, PRIME _ on the paper. "You did answer the question, so I decided to...let the insubordination slide this time. And if you answer the questions I have during this dinner, you might even get a reward. But first," he leaned forward, eyes narrowing, "why have you not been eating the food I have so graciously been providing?" 

"Because it tastes horrible. I don't know how anyone could eat that." Mermista leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. Prime leaned back in his chair and nodded, snapping his fingers. A clone brought out a beautiful dinner of some type of meat for Prime and two trays of the gray food for Mermista and Sea Hawk. She glanced at it and back at Prime, who just smiled. As all 3 ate the food, Mermista kept peeking at Sea Hawk. She was surprised to see him quickly and quietly eat, while she nibbled on hers.

Once they all finished and the dishes were cleared away, Prime leaned forward again. "Sea Hawk, here, tells me that you are able to change forms. Is it true?" Mermista glanced at Sea Hawk as she slowly nodded. "Tell me, what do you turn into?"

"What, he didn't tell you?" Mermista muttered, then continued as she saw Primes' eyes narrow. "I turn into a Mermaid. Tail, scales, everything."

"Gills?"

Mermista shrugged. "Probably? I can breathe underwater, I just don't think about how it works."

Horde Prime hummed. "Are you able to turn at will, or do you need to be in water? And are there any...quirks that you have, being only half-human?"

"It's easier with water, but I can turn at will." She threw a glance at Sea Hawk, who nodded at her. "And it's not really a quirk, I don't think, but I tend to need and drink more water than others. I can't think of anything else." 

"Hmmm. I wish I had known about the water thing earlier."

"Why? Would you have given me more?"

Prime lifted a shoulder. "Probably not, but I prefer to know when I am withholding something you need." He nodded. "Thank you, Princess. Now, for your reward. Sea Hawk, escort her to her room."

"Yes, Lord Prime." Sea Hawk said, getting to his feet. He walked over to Mermista and waited for her to stand up.

After they left the room, Mermista whispered to Sea Hawk. "Hey, let's get out of here. You know the way to wherever that ship that brought us is, right? Let's go." Sea Hawk smiled at her, but otherwise stayed quiet. Everytime she tried to veer off the path, Sea Hawk would guide her back. She grumbled something under her breath, but stopped. Once they got to her room, Sea Hawk opened the forcefield and walked in with Mermista. The forcefield closed as Sea Hawk settled himself on the bed, Mermista lingering by the door. He looks at her and pats the bed.

Mermista slowly walked over and sat at the edge. He was still chipped, she thought, so she knew she couldn't let her guard down. But...she  _ had _ missed him. One night couldn't hurt, could it?

Sea Hawk reached out for her and pulled her close to him. She snuggled up into him, deciding that she could let her guard down for tonight.

"Don't worry, Sea Hawk. We'll be rescued soon." She murmured. She felt his arms tighten around her for a second, then loosen. "Our friends will rescue us and we'll unchip you and be home soon."

Sea Hawk sucks in a breath and blows it out slowly. "I..I'm not so sure, sweetest. They.. well, they're not very good friends, are they?" Mermista frowned. "It's just...well. I don't want to be mean or anything, but their track record isn't the best, is it?" 

"Explain?" Mermista peered up at him.

"Well, when we left behind Entrapta. We didn't even look for a body or anything."

"We were on a bit of a time limit. Not really our fault."

Sea Hawk nodded. "Then they were more interested in trying to gain back an already lost kingdom than trying to protect the ones still under their protection."

"That...that was because Dryl is an important kingdom. And it's technology advanced. We needed it back." 

"The main reason Dryl was technology advanced was Entrapta. It is a small kingdom and not very advantageous otherwise. But they decided trying to get it back took precedent over protecting their own kingdoms. Which…" Sea Hawk trailed off, but Mermista thought she knew where he was going. She was still frowning, but gestured to Sea Hawk, telling him silently to continue. "Which, because they were so focused on that, Salineas fell. They kept you away from your kingdom when it needed you most. And didn't even help you, after promising they would.  _ And _ afterwards, instead of comforting you, because you were in distress, they  _ left _ . They  _ left _ you, when you most needed them. I just...it seems like they haven't been good friends to you." Sea Hawk finished, tightening his grip around Mermista.

Mermista scowled to herself. "That... that's just because they realized that their kingdoms did need protecting. That's all."

"Yes, but they probably could have stayed an hour or two to try to cheer you up, instead of the 'sorry, bye' they did."

"They're coming, Sea Hawk. They're coming for me and you and we're going to kick Primes' butt."

"It's...don't you think they'd have come by now, if they were coming?" Sea Hawk questioned softly.

"It...it hasn't been that long...has it?"

"Merm, it's been weeks. Almost months." Sea Hawk pointed out. 

Mermista glared at the floor. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Night, Sea Hawk. And  _ they're coming. _ " Mermista closed her eyes. Sea Hawk smiled down at her, as his eyes flashed green.


	4. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prime keeps a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short, but it was the perfect stopping point.  
> Main cw/tw for this chapter: non-consent, references strangling, and...I think that's it. If something else needs tagged let me know.

She wakes to lips on hers. She responds, kissing back. Teeth scrape her lips and she gasps, opening her eyes and pulling back, pushing Sea Hawk off as she remembers where she is. "Wait, no, stop."

Sea Hawk frowns, eyes completely green and his voice is overlayed with Primes. "Is that not how Etherians say goodbye to each other?"

Mermista splutters a bit. "If they're together and both parties consent, sure. Wait, goodbye?"

Sea Hawk nods. "Yes, goodbye. Sea Hawk will no longer be on the ship after today, as promised." Mermista frowns and Sea Hawk raises his eyebrows. "Unless you wish him to stay on the ship now." Mermista shakes her head no. "I wish to grab a few scales from you, then you and Sea Hawk may have the rest of today. Then I will release Sea Hawk."

Mermistas' legs flash as they fuse and she gasps when she sees her tail. Her normally bright teal tail is now dull. She hisses when Sea Hawk pulls off a few and a few drop off. He hands them off to a clone standing outside the forcefield and turns back around, holding a tray. She blinks as she sees real food and 2 full glasses of water on the tray. "Sending you off in style, huh?" She remarks as she drinks her glass, ignoring the slight green tinge. The rest of the day is spent in the room, just doing nothing. Eventually, the forcefield disappears and Sea Hawk goes to leave. Mermista reaches a hand out, then pulls it back. "Uh, I guess I'll see you later." Sea Hawk looks back and nods.

Horde Prime calls her to dinner again and she goes, sitting in the same seat. He waves his hand and the wall behind him turns into a screen. "I believe you would like to see how the others are faring." She stares at him and nods.

_"Sea Hawk!" Glimmer runs up to him. "Have you seen Mermista? We could use her help."_

_"You don't know where she is? Or where she's been?" Sea Hawk asks. Glimmer shakes her head. "Prime has her."_

_Glimmer gasps. "Wait, what? When did that happen?"_

_"Awhile ago. I have been looking for her since. Will you be mounting a rescue mission?"_

_Glimmer glances behind her as a large boom sound happens. The screen goes staticky for a minute, then fixes itself. Glimmer is speaking again. "....she's strong. She can handle it."_

The screen cuts completely as Mermista stares. She gets up and walks towards the screen, stops by Prime and reaches a hand out, barely hearing Prime speak. "Oh dear. I'm sorry, Princess." Mermista swings around to Prime, attempting to punch him. Prime grabs her first in one hand and squeezes. "It seems like your...you refer to them as friends, yes? It seems your friends don't plan on rescuing you." She raises her other hand to swing at him and he catches it as well. Moving her hands together so he can grab her wrists with one hand, he lifts her up by her neck. As she struggles and loses consciousness, she hears him say, "Now, we shall start phase two."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If y'all are liking it so far, let me know? Leave a comment. Even if the comment is just "aaahhhh" or "ouch"


	5. Information

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Short again, but now we're getting to the good parts.  
> Tw/cw: chains, and electricity...I think that's it.

She wakes slowly, her head pounding. She tries to raise a hand to her head, only to realize that her hands were already above her. Looking up, she finds that her arms are above her and chained to the walls. Looking down, her legs are free, but she is raised so high that she is unable to reach the floor. 

"Ah, you're awake. Good." Prime comes into view. "I would apologize for the accommodations, but this is necessary." Mermista growls at him. "I'm trying to help you, Princess. You wish to have your friends rescue you, yes? Then we shall show them how strong you have to be. But first, I have more questions for you. You will answer them or you will be punished, understand?" Mermista glowers at him. He sighs, "Princess. I let your Sea Hawk go, the least you can do is answer some questions. Now, you said that each Princess is connected to a stone?"

She doesn't answer, continuing to glower at him. He sighs, lifting up a remote she hadn't seen. He presses the red button on it and she arches, hands clenching, as electricity jolts through her. He releases the button a few seconds later, and she groans, gasping for breath. His hand hovers over the button again. "Most are. As far as I know, Spinnerella, Netossa, and Entrapta aren't connected to any Runestones, but the others are."

"Including you. Is there a limit? How far does the Runestone reach?"

"No one knows." Mermista sees his hand lower towards the button. "None of us really had the time to experiment, fighting a war and all." 

"And your Runestone? It lets you change into a mermaid and control water?"

She shakes her head, keeping a close eye on his hand. "No. My Runestone does allow me to control the water, but not transform. Becoming a mermaid is hereditary, seperate from the Runestone."

"So, if we were out of the Runestones' reach, you would still be able to turn into a mermaid." Prime hums, then snaps his fingers, directing a clone to bring in food and water. "Thank you, Princess, for answering the questions. You will not have to answer any tomorrow, as a reward. Have a nice night." He turns to leave.

"Uhh, aren't you going to let me down?" Mermista asked.

"Not tonight. When you are shown to the other Princesses, we want you to be able to prove your strength." He turns around. "The clone will feed you. Try not to hurt him."

The clone approaches cautiously, getting ready to feed her. She stares at him, growls, then opens her mouth. He quickly feeds and waters her, the water again having a green tinge, then leaves her, enclosing her in darkness.

She wakes to pain radiating through her, and groans. Primes voice surrounds her. 

_Perfect timing, Princess._

Lights come on, flashing into her eyes. She closes them, spots clouding her vision. She blinks them away and her vision clears to show that her surroundings have changed. Prime is sitting in a chair in front of her, a screen filled with static behind him. She glares at him and he smiles. "Shall we see what the others think?" He spins around, ignoring her growl. The static on the screen clears to show a torn field. Sitting in the middle of it are some of the other Princesses. Glimmer and Bow raise their heads at Primes' cough. Glimmer scrambles to a standing position.

_"Mermista! Are you ok?"_

Mermista raises an eyebrow, glowering fiercely. "Do I look like I'm ok?"

_Glimmer nods, "Right, right. Sorry. Wrong question. I meant…"_

Prime clears his throat. "As... fascinating as this conversation is, I called for a reason. As you can see, Queen Glimmer, I have Princess Mermista. I am proposing a trade. Simple, really. The She-ra for the Princess."

_Glimmer and Bow exchange glances, and Bow glances to the right, looking at something off screen._

_"She is….at a different site right now. It would take a while to meet up with her."_

Mermista tries to cross her arms, forgetting about the chains for a minute. They rattle as she grunts. "You idiots. Absolutely not. I'm not going to.." 

_"Mermista, it's ok. Don't worry. We'll get you out of there." Bow promises._

"I will be generous. You have until the end of the week to give me She-ra. If not, you will regret it." Prime cuts the transmission.

"They won't do it." Mermista informs him.

Prime shrugs. "Whether they do or not is inconsequential at the moment. I have other plans for you."


	6. Sea Hawk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attempt at a timeline? Plus, Sea Hawks' side.  
> Tw warnings: reference to strangling, pain, fire. I think that's it.

Sea Hawk leans against the door, scanning the club periodically. They had talked about it, debating about Mermista guarding the door, but eventually decided against it. While everyone might've had a grudge against him, there was a rule in Seaworthy to not attack Sea Hawk if he was on duty. Plus, Mermista was scarier and could probably get the truth out of Double Trouble easier.

He smiles as he remembers how Mermista effortlessly took out the people who had a grudge against him, showing that he was….a noise interrupts his thoughts and he moves away from the door, trying to find the source of the noise. Something strikes the back of his head and he drops to his knees, trying to blink away the dots clouding his vision. He feels hands grab his arms, pulling them behind him and holding down his legs. 

He feels a prick on the nape of his neck and he takes a second to wonder what they injected him with when fire races through his veins. He tries to scream, but a hand clasped over his mouth muffles the sounds. He attempts to struggle, to escape, but he's held down so well, and the pain is so overwhelming, that he barely twitches. He hears a voice in his head, reverberating.

_Join the Light of Horde Prime._

_Become one with the Hive._

_Join the Light of Horde Prime._

_Become one with the Hive._

He doesn't want to, but he succumbs to the pain and to the voices, after what feels like an eternity, but is only a minute in reality. He lifts his head, showing off glowing green eyes, and the people holding him down let him up.

Sea Hawk watches as his body grabs some rags, soaking them in alcohol, and sets the bar on fire. He heads back to the room that the others are in and enters silently. 

The smoke hovers by the ceiling as Mermista turns around. "Sea Hawk. What-what did you do?" She gasps, coughing. 

"Step out of the darkness and into the Light of Prime."

Mermistas' eyes widen, then narrow. "Prime." She snarls. "Let him go." The smoke thickens, turning dark grey and beginning to fill the room. Mermista raises her hands to call on the water, to bring it into Seaworthy, when she's stopped by Perfuma.

"Mermista, we can't. What about the others? The people who were in the club." Mermista lowers her hands while Scorpia sends a jolt of electricity at Sea Hawk. It hits him and he flies backwards into a pole, letting out a grunt of pain.

Sea Hawk drops to the floor and watches as Perfuma pulls Mermista away, heading to the elevator out of Seaworthy. He's a little surprised it's still working, but he had set the fire away from it. He struggles to his feet and heads after them. 

He's stopped by Scorpia, who is barring the way and encouraging the others to escape. He watched Perfuma and Mermista ascend, her eyes meeting his for a split second before they disappear. He turns his attention back to Scorpia. "Sea Hawk, why are you doing this? Stop it, it's not you."

He grins. "The Light has freed me, Scorpia. It'll free you too." 

Sea Hawk watches his body fight Scorpia, hoping that he'd lose, but knowing he wouldn't. He stops paying attention and just floats. He's alone, but not really as he can hear the buzz from the Hive. 

He hears Mermista and tunes back into what is happening. He watches his body strangle Mermista, watches as he takes her to Prime. He tries to fight again, to direct his body to listen to him and the pain that radiates through his body now flares up and he stops fighting. 

_You need to tie her up. Otherwise, she'll attack you._ The voice of Prime echoed in his head. Sea Hawk frowned. Mermista wouldn't hurt him. _Even if she wouldn't attack you, which is something I find hard to believe, considering how often you annoy her, it will be safer if she's tied up. We don't want her crashing around the room while you come back, do we?_ He follows Primes' directions, but still thinking about his words. Mermista may have insulted him before and pushed him away, but she's never physically hurt him. She never would. 

_Good job._ The voice echoed again. _Clone XJ-255 will fly the ship back. You will arrive here in precisely 2.34 hours. Now, I realize that as a weak Etherian, you require sleep. You are allowed to sleep for 2.00 hours. Before you fall asleep, you should gag her. We don't want you waking up too early._

Sea Hawk sleeps, but it's restless. He wakes, not feeling rested, but also unable to stay asleep. He has just enough control to allow himself to stare at Mermista. She's still knocked out and he worries. Did he hurt her? _Do not worry, child. She woke up earlier, but I believed it best to put her back to sleep._ Prime reassures him. He feels himself relax.

Sea Hawk watches his body carry Mermista and set her down in a bed and is ordered to leave that section of the ship. He heads out to the other side, in his own room, and drifts again. The buzz of the Hive keeps him company and food and water are delivered regularly. 


	7. Testing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tests for Mermista.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter to tide you over.
> 
> Tw/cw: medical testing, nothing more than you'd get from a Dr. Electricity. Chains.

"What do you mean plans?" Mermista scowls at him. Prime smiles, turning around and walking away. "Hey. Hey! What do you mean? Hey!"

He walks out of the room, her yelling after him. He pauses outside the door a moment, debating, then heads to his dais room.  _ She will tire herself out soon enough.  _

He settles himself on his throne, bringing up a picture of Etheria. His eyes narrow and his mouth turns down.  _ This planet reeks of magic. But soon, _ he smiles,  _ soon they will know their place.  _

  
  
  


The next day comes and he orders the clones to perform the tests. He needed to speed up the plans, since he had given the offer to the Queen. While he didn't expect her to go through with the trade, he was sure there would be an attempt at a rescue.

Mermista glares at the clone that enters the room. When he stops in front of her, she asks "What are you doing? Hey!" She cries out as the clone shines a bright light in her right eye, then her left eye. He makes a note on his clipboard as she blinks spots away. He steps back in front of her and she kicks out with her feet. She strikes flesh and the clone steps back as suddenly shackles erupt from the wall and click closed around her ankles. 

_ Princess. I left your legs free from my own goodwill and trusted that you would not hurt my clones. You've now lost that privilege.  _

She growls as the clone steps forward again and, sticking a syringe in her arm, draws blood, then takes her temperature.

"What is this, a medical examination?" 

_ Close enough. Now. Can you read the screen in front of you? _

She squints, knowing there's words on there, but not able to tell. "It says, Fuck you." She smirks, then yells out as electricity jolts through her body, her body arching.

_ I do wish you would stop with these childish displays. There is no reason for them. Now. The screen. What does it say. _

The electricity stops and she pants for breath, looking back at the screen. "I….can't tell. It's too far away."

_ Ah, so you are near-sighted. Interesting. And according to these readings, your temperature is low. Is that normal for you? _

"I'm half-fish, idiot."

_ I will ignore that, this once. But I will not be lenient again. Half-fish. So, you embody fish aspects. Useful. _

"Useful?" Mermista questioned.

_ Do you miss being in the water? _

"Why?" 

_ If you promise not to use the water against me, I can see if I can find someplace for you to...stretch your tail. _

"Sure, I won't." Mermista says.

He hums in response, and the clone that had been standing silently nearby leaves the room, leaving Mermista in total darkness. 

  
  


It brings him the blood and he orders the clone, "Raise the ship to the top of the Thermosphere, and see if we have any tanks on the ship."


	8. Memories

Prime stares out the window, looking down at Etheria. He sneers, walking back to his throne.

_ One good thing about this planet, it showed me a flaw in the chips design.  _ He grips the edge of the chair, taking a deep breath and relaxing.  _ The mind-control chip was too easily broken, by just a few words. Well, we'll see if this will be broken. _

He brings up a picture of the princess, chained to the wall and keeps an eye and ear on her as he studies the blood taken from her, comparing it to the blood taken from the male. Finding some extra genes in the blood from the princess, he starts an attempt to separate them.

The clone finds an empty tank in the growing room, and it's lugged to the hallway and in front of the door where the Princess is held. He orders the clone to go in and put her to sleep-he doesn't want a fight. He watches, and once the princess is asleep, the tank is placed in the room and hooked into a small tube that extends into the wall. 

The Princess is unchained from the wall and placed in the tank, chains connecting her wrists to the bottom of the tank, her legs left free. The tank is filled up to her shoulders with the Amniotic Mind fluid and she's again left alone.

Leaving the picture up, his attention turns back to the planet and he sneers.  _ Magic. Useless. It doesn't belong here. Or anywhere. Domum proved… _ Prime shakes his head, trying to turn his attention back to experiment in front of him, ignoring the thought.

But the thought comes back. And Prime takes a deep breath, closing his eyes, and drops into memories he'd thought long forgotten--but one can't really forget where one is from.

_________________________________________________

The child is left on the planet, and he watches the ship leave, feeling lost, confused and angry-it wasn't  _ his _ fault they hadn't listened to him. He'd just tried to point out-reasonably, he thought- that the engineer was making a mistake and the engine was about to blow. He scowls at the pink grass, kicking it, and whirls around when the leaves rustle. He peers through the forest, trying to see through the darkness and hears leaves rustle again. He walks forward, stopping by a tree and examines it- it looks a little weird, blue trunk and purple leaves, but otherwise it seems like a regular tree. The leaves rustle again.

The child glances around, then decided to follow the rustling leaves. He's led to a small cabin and peeks in the window- it looks empty. The door is unlocked when he tests the handle, so he goes in and explores. He finds the bedroom and it's nice and soft and he hadn't slept in so long-he lays down and sleeps through the night.

He wakes the next day to a growling noise and dives under the bed. The noise repeats and he realizes that it's his stomach growling. He hesitates, but he's not on the ship anymore-he can go find food. He leaves the cabin and explores the forest. He doesn't find anything and he returns to the cabin, pouting. The leaves rustle and the child speaks, "Food?" 

Rustling fills the air and after a few minutes, a six-legged blue bear comes to the cabin and drops off a pink four-legged animal, then disappears into the forest. He glances at it, "Food?" 

The child experiments and grows, learning that the planet provides what he asks--food and water and sometimes companionship. He dubs the planet Domum. And he lives there comfortably for years.

__________________________________________________

Prime shakes his head, bringing himself back to the present. Domum doesn't matter, not anymore.

He will destroy the magic on Etheria. 

He hears the princess groan, and a clone goes in to put her back to sleep--he's not ready for her to be awake quite yet. 


	9. Breaking Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More memories and Mermista reaches breaking point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw/cw: drowning, asphyxiation, mentioned animal torture, psychological torture.

The child starts getting bored, asking the planet to entertain him. It doesn't understand and he decides to make his own entertainment: he breaks off a branch and draws in the dirt. The planet is angry and hurt, but...he's entertained now, he won't do it again. 

He progresses to carving on the trees, and the animals that are still brought to him. The animals start to avoid the cabin and the trees begin to wilt. 

He goes into the forest, trying to find the animals, something to eat. He finds one and takes his anger at the planet out on it, torturing it to death. He drags it back to the cabin, which is now surrounded by animals. They attack him, driving him out of the forest. 

He sneers at the half-gone forest, then leaves and heads to the other side. He finds a village and watches it for awhile- white beings scuttle back and forth, bringing food to the center of the village. He waits until nighttime, then goes and takes some for himself. 

He investigates around the village, stumbling across a pond, full of green liquid. He stares, memorized, until he's pushed in. He falls to the bottom, holding his breath. He tries to get back to the surface, clawing at the liquid. He tries to swing his arms, his lungs burn as he runs out of air. His vision blurs, and the last thing he sees before passing out is a white hand reaching down for him.

___________________________________________________

Mermista wakes, choking. She tries to take a breath and liquid flows in, and she realizes that she's not choking, she's drowning--but she can breathe underwater, how is she drowning? She's feels her legs switch to her tail and something clamps tight around it, digging in. 

She winces and tries to struggle, chains rattling, as she tugs her arms. Opening her eyes, she squints through green liquid at Prime, who's smiling. 

The green liquid turns blue, with only a hint of green, and she takes a deep breath, on the verge of passing out. She glares at Prime, gasping. "Wh--what was that?"

Prime doesn't answer, instead aiming a bright light at her eyes. She blinks back spots, and he shows her a screen. "Can you see this now?"

She looks and sees words written on it. "I can, but I'm not saying that. You're not my God."

He shrugs, "Not yet. But soon."

She glares at him as he leaves, then looks around. He's left the lights on, which hurt her eyes, but she examines her surroundings. Tank, water, chains around her wrists, still, chain around her tail. Still trapped. 

Mermista had thought she'd be rescued by now. It's been..she's not sure how long, but weeks, months by now, right? She doesn't want to believe Prime, but...there hasn't been an attempt to rescue her. Sea Hawk hasn't even come back, although she kinda understands that- especially if he'd been on the ship as long. But she can't... He would have tried to come back, if he was able to. Maybe he's hurt? 

She thought...ok, maybe she wasn't the most important Princess, or the strongest, or the smartest. But the Alliance had meant that no one was left behind. But... maybe Prime was right? And they'd only recruited her so she wouldn't join the Horde.

Mermista shakes her head. No, they did care about her. They're probably just getting a little overwhelmed by the war- Thaymore kept getting taken over every time they rescued it, after all. And they were a few princesses down. That's all. They're still going to come and rescue her.

The screen in front of her flickers, showing Sea Hawk and Glimmer.

_ "Glimmer, I miss Mermista. When can we rescue her?"  _

_ "We can't just…" _ The screen flickers.  _ "You understand, right Sea Hawk?" _

_ "But…." _

_ "I know it's hard, Sea Hawk. I'm sorry." _

Mermista stares at the screen as it flickers back to white and disappears. She slumps, they really aren't planning on rescuing her, are they?

Prime enters the room, watching her. She looks up, her voice dragging, "What do you want?"

He smiles, realizing that her fire is almost completely gone. And once it is completely gone, she'll be where she belongs- under his control. "Princess, all I want to do is save you." 


	10. Glimmer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glimmers turn!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cw: explosion. And I think that's it for this chapter.
> 
> I realize I could provide do longer chapters. But nah.

Glimmer leans back into Bows' arms, sighing, as she scanned the map again. It was filled with the Horde Symbol and she groans. "Can't they give us a break?" 

Bow squeezes her tighter. "Don't worry, look! We reclaimed Thaymore! And Erelandia!"

"Yeah, but we'll probably lose them again." She glances at him. "I know, I know. Think positive. We'll totally be able to do this."

"And now you sound like Adora." There's crashing noises outside. "And I should go make sure she's trying to rest. Don't overwork yourself, ok?" 

Bow leaves the tent, as Glimmer ponders over the map again. She feels herself getting angry and decides to take a walk. She leaves the tent, glancing around once she's outside. Most Princesses-the ones left- are huddled around the fire, and she can see Adora at the end of the camp, punching something-probably a tree. She turns and sees Sea Hawk.

She grins, rushing over to him. Having Mermista back and helping would be very useful. "Sea Hawk!" She calls out. He turns to face her, his face blank. She hesitates, he's normally happier--maybe they're fighting again? But she needs her. "Have you seen Mermista? We could use her help."

"You don't know where she is? Or where she's been?" Glimmer shakes her head. "Prime has her."

"Wait, what? When did that happen?" Glimmer searches her memory. Sure, it'd been a while since she'd seen Mermista, but not that long, right?

"Awhile ago. I have been looking for her since." Ah _ , that explains why he doesn't look happy, he's missing Mermista _ , Glimmer thinks. "Will you be mounting a rescue mission?" 

A loud boom sounds and Glimmer glances over her shoulder. It came from where Adora and Bow were, and she squints through the smoke beginning to fill the camp. She glimpses Adora and nods, turning back to Sea Hawk. "Adora is over there, she's strong, she can handle it. Now, rescuing Mermista. We can do that, but do you know where Primes' ship is?" He shakes his head. "Ok, so, we'll put out feelers, eyes and ears, and once we get word, we'll head there." 

Glimmer pauses, studying Sea Hawk. "Don't worry, Sea Hawk. We'll get her back." 

Sea Hawk nods and walks away. Glimmer watches him go, something niggling at her brain. She heads to the other end of the camp, shoving aside the feeling of wrongness, and checks out what happened. 

Glimmer finds Adora on the ground, Catra hovering over her, preventing Bow from getting close. She gasps, "What happened?" 

Bow glances at her, hands held out towards Catra. "We're not entirely sure. C'mon, Catra, I just want to take a look! We need to know how bad it is, so we know how to fix it."

Catra growls, but allows Bow to move closer. He checks Adora out, "Ok, I'm not a healer, by any means, but I think she hit her head. She just needs to rest."

Catra gently picks Adora up, "Right, rest. I can do that." She carries Adora to their tent, pausing at the entrance. "Thanks, Arrow Boy." 

Bow turns back to Glimmer. "I hope that's all she needs." They head over to the rest of the Princesses. "She does need the rest either way, of course." They settle down, talking about nothing in particular.

A cough distracts them and they look up to see a clone holding a pad, and Glimmer scrambles to her feet at the sight.

"Mermista! Are you ok?"

Mermista raises her eyebrow, glowering. "Do I look like I'm ok?" 

Glimmer nods, wincing internally. "Right, right. Sorry, wrong question. I meant…"

Prime interrupts her by clearing his throat. "As fascinating as this conversation is, I called for a reason. As you can see, Queen Glimmer, I have Princess Mermista. I am proposing a trade. Simple, really. The She-ra for the Princess."

Glimmer exchanges a glance with Bow, and he looks over to the tent.  _ If she ends up on the ship now, she won't survive. _ "She's at a different site right now. It would take a while to meet up with her." 

Glimmer hears Mermistas' chains rattle. "You idiots. Absolutely not. I'm not going to…."

Bow interrupts her. "Mermista, its ok. Don't worry. We'll get you out of there." He promises.

"I will be generous. You have until the end of the week to give me She-ra. If not, you will regret it." The transmission cuts and Frosta jumps up, punching the clone. 

They exchange glances. "Prime didn't do that when I was on the ship. I mean, I couldn't leave the room, but I wasn't actually chained to the wall!" She's yelling by the end of the sentence.

"Are we rescuing Merm?" Sea Hawk speaks up, and they jump, surprised that he had sneaked up.

"We will, but we still need to know where they are. I promise, Sea Hawk, we will rescue Mermista." Bow swears.


	11. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prime wins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW/TW: Reference character death, references to being buried alive, mind control, asphyxiation, references drowning. I think thats it. If something else needs tagging, let me know.

The hand scoops the child up out of the Kai-Make. He glances at the child, wondering if he’d saved it in time, but no one ever survived falling into the lake. He takes it back to his house anyway and waits for the requisite 3 days. The child still has not woken up by the 4th day and he starts the Rite. He dresses the child in white, and spends the 5th day praying over him, offering him to the planet, as all beings return to it, to feed the animals which feed the Ho’omana. He makes the coffin—a simple one, a box just big enough to fit the child. He carries them both to the edge of the forest, nearest the lake and, offering an apology to the planet, digs down into the dirt. He covers the box again and lays down next to it for the next day. On the 7th day, he offers another prayer, turns, and leaves the child to the mercies of Time.  
  
  


The child dreams, green filtering over everything. He remembers life on the ship, the youngest and weakest, unable to defend himself from those bigger. He remembers hiding away, borrowing books and becoming the smartest on the ship, learning to sneak, bargain and barter for the best stuff. He remembers becoming the most feared, until he tried to correct the engineer and he’s thrown off, onto a deserted planet, not expected to live. He once again beats expectations, living until the planet turns against him. The child frowns, dreaming of the green liquid surrounding him, holding him tight. He sees sunlight and tries to swim towards it, as he’s pulled further and further down, green taking over everything.

The child jolts, gasping, as he wakes. He tries to sit up and his head hits wood. He growls, then calms. He needs to save his air to get out. He narrows his eyes and starts to claw his way through the wood, taking breaks here and there. The child claws his way out, through the wood and the dirt, emerging from the ground. He’s gasping, recovering his air, looking around to when he spots the being that had saved him from the lake. Stumbling out of the hole, he races over to demand answers. It turns around, seeing him, and eyes wide, drops to his knees, head meeting the ground in a bow. The child stops in front of him. “Explain.” He demands, voice rough.  
  


“Apologies, Mālama. I did not realize.” The child glares. “You are the first to ever survive the Kai-Make.”

“The first, huh.” The child muses.

* * *

“Save me?” Mermista repeats, staring at Prime. She squints. “From what?”

“From magic. From Etheria.” He smiles. “From yourself.”   
  


“No thanks, I can save myself.”

“Hmm. And why haven’t you done so yet?” Mermista glares. “Under my guidance, you and your planet will be saved.” Mermista opens her mouth. “Stop arguing and be quiet.” Prime orders. Her eyes narrow and tries to continue arguing—but finds she’s unable to move her mouth. Prime watches her, smirking. “Ah, it’s beginning to work.” _What’s beginning to work?_ Mermista tries to ask. “Don’t worry, Princess. Everything will be fine.”

Mermista is left alone again and she tries to figure out what happened. Why hadn’t she been able to argue against Prime earlier? Just because ~~her friends~~ the other Princesses weren’t going to rescue her didn’t mean she could just give up. She dozes, waking up the next morning to a prick in her arm-the clone is taking blood again. She glares and tries to yell at him, but finds she is still unable to speak. Prime enters, and she glares at him. “Have you been able to talk since yesterday?” She shakes her head. “Good. Its’ still working. Let us see how strong it is.”

_How strong what is?_ Mermista wants to yell at him. She feels the chains on her arms loosen.

Prime walks over to the side the clone is on. “Keep this clone under the water.” Mermista stares at him. “Until I tell you to let him up.” Her eyes widen—she can breathe underwater, but she doesn’t know if the clone can. She hesitates and Prime narrows his eyes, pressing a button on the wall. She half-flinches, expecting pain, but it doesn’t come. Mermista opens her eyes, noticing that the water was greener. “Grab the clone.” Prime orders. Mermista feels her arms move, grabbing the clone around the waist. “Pull him under the water.” She can feel her arms moving and watches as the water covers the clones’ head. 30 seconds, then 60 seconds pass- she sees the beginning of panic on his face as the clone realizes he can’t breathe and can’t break her grip. 90 seconds and she’s able to take control of her arms, releasing the clone, who scrambles out of the tank as quick as he can. Prime frowns, watching her and ignoring the clone. “Hmm, not quite there. But almost.” Mermista scowls at him. She’s not going to murder someone.

The water turns even greener and she starts wheezing for breath. After a couple of minutes, the water goes back to being more blue than green and she breathes deep. She looks up and sees clones surrounding the tank. One walks around behind her, and she feels a prick in her neck, fire racing through her veins, as another clone stops in front of her. “Grab the clone.” Prime orders. Mermista feels her body follow his orders, trying to fight it the whole time. “Under the water until I say to let go.” 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds- she’s yelling in her mind to let go of the clone. At 100 seconds, Prime smiles. “Let him go.” She promptly releases him and watches the clone scramble out of the tank, then turns green eyes to Prime. “Very good, Princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like this, or don't like it, consider dropping a comment? Even if its just "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH" or "ugh."


	12. Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermista reunites with the others.

Chapter 12: Reunion

Prime keeps Mermista in the greener water for another day, then drops her off in a field. “There is a village to the West. Your Sea Hawk should be there. You’ll meet up with him and assist him. Then make your way into the Alliance camp. Pretend like nothing is wrong.”

She arrives at the village, glancing around. Spotting Sea Hawk, she heads towards him. “Hey.” He turns at the sound of her voice, attempting to hide the torch behind his body. Seeing her, he smiles, eyes flashing green in response to hers. She walks closer, and grabbing the torch from him, bends down and sets fire to the hay.

Mermista straightens up, heading to the next house. She glances back at Sea Hawk, “Coming?” He nods, following behind her, then crosses the street to set fire to those houses. They finish the row, then meet up behind the town, resting at a tree. The smoke hovers over the village, darkening the sky, and they listen to the screams of the villagers.

They can hear the Alliance coming and they break apart, Sea Hawk heading to meet them while Mermista stays behind. She circles the village, coming from the opposite direction of the Alliance and Summons the water she feels from the nearby lake. She pushes it over and through the village, dousing the fire.

Mermista turns, hearing the cheers of the Alliance, and hides a wince as she’s enveloped in a hug. Perfuma steps back, grinning and Mermista has to resist the urge to snarl at her. _Act normal,_ she reminds herself. She does roll her eyes and stepped out of the way of the next hug she saw coming.

“Mermista! You’re OK! I’m so glad.” Perfuma says, clapping her hands together.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“How’d you escape?” Frosta squints at her. “Glimmer said it was _impossible_ to escape.”

Mermista scoffs. “Glimmer didn’t have access to her Runestone.”

Sea Hawk comes to stand by her, and she glances at him, then turns her attention back to the others. “We done with this village? The fire’s out.”

Frosta and Perfuma glance over their shoulders to Netossa and Spinnerella, waving them over. “We still have clean-up, but I’m sure they’ll let you go rest.”

Netossa joins them, raising an eyebrow at Mermista. “You good?”

“Where’s the camp? Took a bit out of me.”

Netossa examines her closer, then nods. “Yeah, guess you should rest. Sea Hawk can take you back.” Mermista and Sea Hawk turn to leave when Netossa adds, “Oh, Catra is with us now. Try not to attack her.”

Mermista stiffens and nods, continuing to leave. The others watch her and Frosta voices, “I still don’t understand how she escaped. Or why she can head back to camp. We’re not done yet.”

“Can you really see Mermista admitting weakness? The fact she even said that it took a bit out of her, and she was shaking, she’s about to collapse. Hope she can make it to camp.”

* * *

Glimmer watches Sea Hawk and Mermista walk into camp, teleporting over to hug her. Mermista groans and pushes her away, “Ugh. I forgot, huggers.”

“Are you OK, Mermista? I know it was probably hard—”

“I’m fine. Just need to rest a bit.” Mermista glances around, heading to the closest tent and Glimmer winces, teleporting in front of her.

“Not that one. Its’ occupied right now. You can bunk with Sea Hawk, his tent is over there somewhere.” Glimmer waves a hand at the far end of the camp.

They head to the tent and Mermista sinks onto the bedroll with a groan.

**_Good job. I don’t think they suspect a thing._ **


	13. Wrongness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in 2 days? Unheard of. Probably won't happen again.

Glimmer glares down at the map, then throws her hands up and storms out of the tent. Seeing Bow, she heads towards him, snuggling into his side. He glances down at her, “Break time?”

Glimmer nods. “I can’t figure out how they’re beating us now! We were _winning._ ” She sighs, looking over at Mermista and Sea Hawk. “At least she was able to escape. We need all we can get, especially since….” She trails off, throwing a glance at Adoras’ tent.

“I’d honestly thought she’d be better by now.” Bow muses, also looking at the tent. “Either she needed this a lot more then we thought, or its’ worse than I thought.” Catra emerges from the tent, looking around and heading towards Bow. “How is she?”

“She woke up for a bit but was a bit confused. I thought you said she’d be better by now!” She snarls at Bow, tail flicking behind her.

“I said I wasn’t a healer! We should probably get an actual Healer to check her out.”

“No.” Catra flattens her ears and turns away. “I need to get back to her.”

She heads back into the tent as they watch, and Bow lets out a sigh. “I know she’s worried, but it would be better to get Adora actually checked out.”

“Probably but neither one would listen.” Glimmer responds, watching Sea Hawk lean down to whisper in Mermistas’ ear. Glimmer blinks, shaking her head—for a second, the way the light had reflected, she’d thought…but maybe it was a trick of the light. She resolves to keep a closer eye on him. “Hey, have you noticed anything…strange about Sea Hawk?”

“Strange?” Bow squints over at them. “He is quieter, but that’s about it.”

“Exactly!” Glimmer throws her hands up. “He’s quiet. When was the last time you saw Sea Hawk quiet?”

“When Mermista was gone, he was quiet.”

“But she’s back, why isn’t he loud again?”

“Do…do you miss him being loud?”

“No! Its’ just weird, that’s all.” Glimmer turns away, crossing her arms.

“I’m sure he’ll be back to himself in no time at all. He’s Sea Hawk! Nothing keeps him down.”

Glimmer nods, “Yeah, guess you’re right.”

* * *

Glimmer cheers as she blasts another group of clones. Glancing around, she takes note of where the other Princesses are and her eyes narrow as she can’t find Mermista. Scanning the area again, she realizes she can’t see Sea Hawk either. Popping up by Bow, Glimmer asks, “Hey, have you seen Mermista or Sea Hawk recently? I lost track of them.” Bow shakes his head, firing another arrow. Glimmer pops around, asking everyone and ends up back by Bow.

“Still can’t find them?” He glances at her.

“No. I hope they’re ok.”

A wave sweeps though the area, Glimmer grabbing Bow and teleporting them out of the way, returning for the others. Once everyone is safe, Glimmer looks around and sees Mermista leaning against a tree. She pops over. “Hey. You almost hit us!”

Mermista shrugs. “You moved out of the way in time.”

“Yeah, but if we hadn’t, you could’ve seriously hurt us. Be careful.” She pops away, then back. “Oh, yeah, have you seen Sea Hawk lately?”

“He’s around somewhere.”

“I wanted to ask you….” Sea Hawk appears next to Mermista. “Never mind. I’ll talk to you later.” Glimmer pops away.

**_You missed. How did you miss?_ **

Mermista and Sea Hawk wince as Primes’ voice echoes. Mermista turns into Sea Hawks’ embrace as she responds. “They saw it coming and teleported out of the way.”

Sea Hawk speaks up, “If we tire them out, they won’t have the energy to escape.”

**_An intriguing idea._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, next chapter: Do you guys want a Prime chapter, a Sea Hawk chapter, Mermista, or someone we haven't seen from yet? Drop a comment, let me know.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The child is named.   
> Tw/cw: referenced death, exhaustion, mentioned chronic pain. I think thats it.

“Apologies, Mālama. I did not realize.” The child glares. “You are the first to ever survive the Kai-Make.”

“The first, huh.” The child muses. “Tell me, do you know why no-one survives?”

The Ho’omana shakes his head, “No, Mālama. Some don’t die immediately, they last a few days, at most. They talk about voices, voices constantly talking to them, all the time. Then they slip away.”

“Why do you keep calling me Mālama? What does that mean?” The child asks.

“It means…it doesn’t have just one meaning. But mainly, reawakened, re-arisen, come back.”

The child shakes his head. “I don’t like it. Call me…Call me Prime.”

“Prime?”

The child nods. “Yes. I am the first, I’m the best, I am Prime.” He turns his attention back to the Ho’omana. “Do you have a name?”

“We refer to each other as brother.”

“You will be called Ukali. Lead me to your village.”

* * *

Mermista sends another wave over the crowd in front her, eyes narrowing when she sees Netossa protecting herself and Spinnerella from it as it washes the clones away. She ignores the yelling from Netossa and turns her attention to where Glimmer and Bow are fighting and attempts to send out another wave, her arms shaking. The wave she summons fizzles out before reaching them and she clenches a fist.

**_What was that?_ **

The residual pain flares up, and Mermista gasps, falling to her knees.

**_You are supposed to be hurting them. Like they hurt you. Its’ only fair, isn’t it? For them to feel a fraction of what you felt?_ **

The pain recedes, and Sea Hawk helps her up, then runs into the fray, sword drawn, hacking at the clones. He brushes by Bow, his sword getting close to cutting Bow, and Glimmer teleports him out of the way.

“Sea Hawk. Be careful. Mermista, you too!” Glimmer yells. Sea Hawk nods as he swings at the clones, missing them by centimeters, and they drop down.

Glimmer pops back by Sea Hawk to give him backup as a clone pushes him back. She swings at the clone, knocking it down, then is pushed into Sea Hawk. She grabs at Sea Hawk, grabbing his bandana and ripping it off his neck. As she falls, she sees green lining his neck and she blinks. Sea Hawk leans down, helping her up and grabbing his bandana, and she eyes his neck, now clear of the lines she knows she saw.

* * *

The fight drags on and eventually, long after it should’ve ended, the Alliance returns victorious to their campsite. Sea Hawk and Mermista ignore the yelling from Netossa and Glimmer, retiring to their tent. Mermista slumps into his arms and they wince as Prime speaks to them.

**_You’re not trying hard enough. Have you already forgotten? What these Princesses did to you? To both of you?_ **

Mermista shakes her head, burying her face into Sea Hawks’ neck as his arms circle her.

**_They ignored you, Sea Hawk. Until they had a use for you. Just a thing to them. And Princess Mermista, they left you, to my tender mercies, for months. Don’t you want to repay them?_ **

“Yes, Lord Prime.”

Sea Hawk looks down at Mermista and, seeing her shaking, speaks up. “We’re just as tired as the others, Lord Prime.” He regrets it as the pain intensifies.

**_You will be tired if I allow you to be tired. You will rest if I allow you to rest._ **

Sea Hawk nods, “Sorry, Lord Prime.”

* * *

The clones attack at night, ambushing the Alliance. The Princesses fight back, but they’re exhausted, and the clones start winning. One by one, the Princesses fall, until only Mermista and Sea Hawk are standing. The clones stop attacking and Glimmer wonders why as she falls into darkness.

Glimmer becomes aware of hissing and yowling as she slowly regains consciousness. Opening her eyes as she struggles to get up, she looks around, seeing a blur of red demolish the clones.

A golden glow covers the field, and Glimmer breathes a sigh of relief as she feels her pain and exhaustion melt away. She helps Bow up, then joins Catra in defeating the rest of the clones.

Glancing around, Glimmer takes note of where the Princesses are. She smiles, seeing Adora help Frosta up, then frowns as her gaze sweeps back over the field.

Where are Sea Hawk and Mermista?


	15. Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ....I don't think anything triggery applies here.

Reports roll in, of towns burning to the ground and towns being flooded. The Princesses scan the map, frowning as the Horde symbol covers most of the map again. Glimmer groans. “I can’t believe this. How did they get both of them?”

Bow frowns at the map. “How are we going to free them? Netossa freed Spinnerella through love. Same with Adora and Catra. But Sea Hawk is in love with Mermista.”

“How long have they been chipped? And why…why couldn’t we tell the difference?” Perfuma spoke up, tears in her eyes.

“Mermista tends to hide her emotions anyway. Especially behind a blank face, or a façade of not caring.” Glimmer pointed out. “But Sea Hawk? I’m not sure.”

“He had been quieter than usual. But…he always goes quiet when Mermista is in trouble. I just thought that was why.” Bow admits.

“Are…we bad friends because we couldn’t tell?” The question hangs in the air—no one wants to answer it. The silence is interrupted by a cough from Catra and Adora.

“Isn’t the pirate her weakness? Like Netty there said a while ago? So, go after him first, tell him Mermista is in danger. Might snap him out of it.” Catra shrugs, pushing herself into Adoras’ arms, meeting Netossas’ glare with a smirk.

Adora nods, “And once we break his control, he should be able to break through to Mermista.” Adora and Catra exchange glances. “Even if she hasn’t admitted her feelings yet, it should work.”

* * *

Sea Hawk starts paying attention again as he hears a voice mention Mermista. He’d been drifting, knowing what his body was doing, but not able to do anything. He tried, if only to hear the voice of his princess, or feel her as she leaned into him. He’d been able to fight off Primes’ control a bit, able to continue offering hugs to Mermista, even if the pain flared each time.  
  


“Sea Hawk! Its’ me, Bow. Your best bud?” Bow dodges a swing from Sea Hawks’ sword. “I just came to tell you. Mermista needs help.”

The next swing freezes in front of Bow. Green eyes flicker to black, “Mermista?”

“Yeah, she needs help and is requesting you specifically.”

Sea Hawk shakes his head and continues attacking Bow. “I doubt that. Mermista doesn’t ask for help. Not my girl. Now, join the light of Horde Prime.” Sea Hawk grins as he grazes Bows’ stomach.

Bow shakes his head. “Ok, you got me. She didn’t actually ask for you. But everyone knows you’re kinda the only person she listens to regularly. Plus, you are the only one who can help her right now.”

Sea Hawk hesitates, ignoring the pain searing through his body. “What’s wrong with her? She looked fine when I saw her a few days ago.”

“We’re not sure.” Bow flicks his eyes over Sea Hawks’ shoulder. “She just collapsed.”

The green clears completely from Sea Hawks’ eyes. “My Misty collapsed? Where is she?” He takes a step forward, then falls to his feet as something hits the back of his neck, hitting the chip. As Sea Hawk loses consciousness, he hears Bow mutter, “I’m sorry, buddy. You’ll understand later.”


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn a bit more about Prime.  
> Tw/Cw: references to death, references to voices/hearing things, references choking, references drowning

Prime is welcomed into the village. He integrates himself in nicely, helping where needed, slowly gaining a reputation of being everywhere. Soon, there’s whispers. “Prime always seems to know everything. Are we sure he isn’t connected to the Hive? Isn’t he the one who survived Kai-Make? Didn’t the others go nuts?” Prime feels the eyes of the others on him as he grows.

“Ukali? What’s the Hive Mind like?” Prime asks one day.

Ukali gets as close to a frown as he can manage. “It just…is. I always know my brothers, as they know me.”

“And those who ended up in the Kia-Make died, right? Because they couldn’t hear the Hive?”

Ukali shakes his head. “The Hive doesn’t talk, not really. But those that have fallen into the Kai-Make always say voices do talk to them, constantly. Are you hearing the voices, Brother Prime?”

There is whispering, buzzing at the edges of his ears, but he shakes his head no. Its’ nothing understandable, anyway.

Time marches on, and the buzzing grows to talking. Its constant, and Prime finds himself scratching at his ears more than once. He tries to ignore them, but slowly starts listening to them more and more. Soon, he finds out the voices are helping him-he’s able to find the best berries and the biggest animals.

* * *

Mermista prowls the hallways of the Fright Zone. She hears the yelling and is heading towards it when she hears a sound nearby. She reaches out for the water in the pipes as she heads towards the sound and sees Catra on the floor. She sends a wave of water through the hallway, growling to herself as she loses sight of Catra. Mermista scuffles with Catra. “Hiding is pointless. Show yourself an kneel before Horde Primes’ might.”

Mermista is knocked down and she thinks, as she feels Catras’ body on hers, that she’ll be free of the chip. The chip pulsates, the pain flaring through her body and she grunts as she lifts an arm, ordering the water to knock Catra off. They fight for a while longer, and eventually Mermista just starts filling the room with the water- Catra can’t avoid that. The water fills halfway and Mermista spies Catra in the water, eyes wide. She starts heading there, when Catra goes invisible again. Once the room is 3/4s full, she hears a pop and sees glitter filling the air and growls as Glimmer rescues Catra.

**_Report to me, now._** Primes’ voice echoes in her head and she heads to the throne room, not looking forward to whatever punishment would happen—and she knew it would be punishment—Catra escaping from her when she was right there?

She stops in front of Prime. “Princess. _You continue to fail me._ ” Prime grabs her around the throat, squeezing a bit and her breath hitches. “I am beginning to see why your friends never came for you. I am giving you easy things to do—hurt the Princesses like they hurt you. Drown the cat that destroyed your home. Easy tasks. And yet, you still fail. Do you not wish to see them hurt, like they hurt you?”

Prime glares at her and behind him, she can see Scorpia kneeling, head bowed. “Let’s make sure you’re ready for your next task. Tonight will be a tank night. Go.”

She heads off, resigned to spending a night in the choking green water. Prime watches, a sneer marring his face. “These Princesses are annoying me. But I won’t have to deal with them soon.

* * *

Sea Hawk groans as he wakes up. He hisses as he opens his eyes, blinking at the light above him, his head pounding. He turns his head, looking at Bow sitting next to him. Jumping up, Sea Hawk grabs Bow by the shoulders. “Where’s Mermista? Where is she?”

“Hey, Sea Hawk. Feeling better?” Bow asks.

Sea Hawks removes his hands from Bows shoulders to stare at them. “I…I can move them! I’m in control of myself again!”


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see the last pit of Prime becoming Prime, and a glance at Sea Hawk.  
> CW/TW: hearing voices, drowning/choking, and insidious thoughts

Ukali shakes his head. “I don’t know how you do it, Brother Prime. But you always have the best results: the best animals, the juiciest berries.”

Prime smirks down at Ukali, the voices whispering in his ears. “Would you like to know the secrets, Ukali? You could help me. Help me help our village.” The voices shriek in his ears.

Ukali hesitates. “Would that not be unfair to our other brothers?”

“I’ll show them, too. Soon. But I want you to know first.”

Ukali agrees and they head out to the Kai-make. They get closer to the lake and Ukali starts getting nervous. “Brother, why are we here? I don’t like being near the Kai-Make.” He gives it a glance. “It’s dangerous.”

“It can be. But its’ fine, Ukali. Trust me. We’ll be able to help our village. Have I ever led you wrong before?” Prime stops next to the lake and beckons Ukali closer. Ukali slowly walks up by Prime, glancing up at him, then down into the Kai-Make.

He looks at his reflection—a small white figure, dwarfed by the giant next to him. He glimpses a smirk on Primes face, right before he feels hands on his neck and his head is pushed into the Kai-Make. He gasps, realizing his mistake as green water fills his mouth and nose. He chokes, wondering why, trying to pray when he starts hearing voices. He’s pulled out of the lake. “Do you hear them, brother?” Prime asks, a smile on his face.

“Brother, wha—why? Hear what?” Ukali asks.

Prime dunks him back in and Ukali has enough sense to hold his breath this time. His chest burns after a few seconds and he hears voices yelling in his head. He opens his mouth and water rushes in and Prime pulls him back up. Ukali is grasping at his ears, shouting. “They’re loud. Turn them off. Turn them off.”

**_Ukali. Listen to me. Focus on my voice._ **

Ukali looks at Prime, noting that his mouth hadn’t moved even as he heard the voice.

**_Its’ ok, Ukali. The voices help. Listen._ **

Ukali takes a second and realizes the voices are telling him where the animals are.

“Is this how, Brother?” Ukali looks at Prime, who nods. “We must tell the others! We must have them join us as well.”

Ukali and Prime work their way through the village, convincing them to go to the Kai-Make and get Blessed, so they could become one with the planet and hear its’ Voice.

Slowly, the planet starts running out of food of all kinds and Prime directs them to build a ship to get them off the planet. “I provided for you and showed you how to connect with the planet. Unfortunately, it has reached the end of its’ life, as all things come to an end.” The only voice that echoes in their heads is Primes’ now. “However, even as one thing ends, another begins. We will go forth and will find a new place to restart.”

* * *

“I’m glad you’re free, buddy.” Bow smiles at Sea Hawk. “Feeling back to normal, then?”

 _Buddy? We camped together for months and you didn’t notice anything wrong, buddy._ Sea Hawk buries the thought as he nods. “Yep, feeling right as rain.”

“Good. I’m sorry to dump this on you right when you're freed, but we’re getting ready to attack the spire. Mermista is chipped, as you know, and we think you’re the best shot at distracting her. Do you feel up to it?” Bow watches Sea Hawk, a frown on his face.

 _Of course, they only freed me to use me as bait._ “Me? Do I feel up to wooing my dearest?” Sea Hawk ignores Bows’ muttered ‘I said distract, not woo’. “Of course, I will woo my dearest. I haven’t been able to compliment her in months!”


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW/CW: electricity, fighting, I think thats' it.

She’s sent to defend the spire from the princesses, along with Scorpia. _Water and electricity? The princesses won’t last long._

Mermista bends down, calling on the water under the ground, bringing it up to the surface. She floods the clearing, the water coming up to everyone’s ankles and Scorpia bends next to her, touching her claw to the water. Lightning comes out, striking the Princesses and Mermista realizes, as a small bolt hits her, that it probably wasn’t the best idea to cover her feet as well.

Prime projects himself over the spire, talking about..she doesn’t know, she’s keeping an eye on the Princesses, making sure they wouldn’t do anything stupid.

Prime finishes his speech and the clone army move in, Mermista and Scorpia throwing attacks at the same time.

Mermista frowns as she sees Glimmer pop in, knocking out a group of clones. She summons a wave of water to wash her away— _didn’t notice I was missing, didn’t try to save me—_ throwing her anger into the wave. It towers over the group, and she lets out a yell as she directs it towards them. Glimmer throws up a shield and the water rushes around it, taking out some of the clones instead.

Glimmer and Castaspella do something to gather the water up and throw it back at her. She flies back into the cliff, grunting in pain as a _crack_ sounds. Falling to the ground, she snarls as she gets up, bending over and breathing heavily while she watches the others.

 _Wait, is that Sea Hawk?_ She doesn’t have time to identify the emotions before he’s walking towards her, talking to her.

“Mermista. Horde Prime thinks he controls you. But I know you.” Sea Hawk walks towards her and she watches—he’s not wrong, not really. He _does_ know her, sometimes better than she knows herself. Maybe he can break her out of this. “And I’m going to prove it through the power of Shanty! Ooohhh….” Or not.

Mermista sends a small water whip to circle his ankle and throws him to the side. She sends more water out, cutting through the rocks Sea Hawk keeps hiding behind. She slices through the biggest rock— _did she cut him, please, no­­_ —and Sea Hawk laughs, “Y’know, this is kinda nice." _What?_ “Doesn’t it remind you of the first time we met? You also tried to kill me then!” He smiles, leaning on the rock.

She calls up multiple streams and sends it after him, merging it into one big stream. _Sea Hawk, I’m…at least you’re quick. Please keep dodging._

While he dodges, she sends out a tendril to wrap around his ankle, pulling him off his feet and towards her. He chuckles, looking up at her. “Couldn’t wait to sweep me off my feet?”

 _Is he not…_ She growls, “Why are you like this?”

He looks at her, “Because I love you, Dearest.”

 _Wait, he loves me?_ She breaks Primes control for a minute, the surprise and— _I think I love him, too—_ overwhelming her. She loses control quickly, and Sea Hawk continues talking. “Plus, its’ a good distraction.” _What?_ Something hits her neck, right where the chip is, and pain sears through her as she falls forward, into blackness.

* * *

Sea Hawk holds Mermista tight as he watches the world begin to burn, green flames erupting from the ground. He tilts his head, kissing her on the temple as he murmurs to her. The flames stop and Sea Hawk glances up as Adora—in She-ra form—walks out and speaks to Prime, doing something, that will get rid of Prime forever. He turns back to Mermista, hoping she’ll wake soon.

Mermista groans and Sea Hawk smiles—she’s awake—and loses his smile as he looks into green eyes.


	19. Memory lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW/TW: Intrusive thoughts.   
> This is a happier chapter.

Mermista groans as she wakes. Her body aches, her head hurts, and her neck—she lifts a hand to her head, pressing softly, then pauses. Her body had listened to her.

She opens her eyes—her vision is hazy, and everything looks green. She sees Sea Hawk looking down at her and smiles at him. “Misty? Are you…with us?” He asks. She nods, then tenses as she hears the others.

Mermista scrambles to feet, ignoring her pain, and stands, wavering on her feet, glaring at the Princesses. Glimmer approaches, “Sea Hawk? Is she okay?”

He nods, standing in front of Mermista. “Misty?” Her gaze moves to his, then back to the Princesses.

**Attack them.** _No. They’re friends_ **Enemies** _Allies_ **Foes** _No…_

Mermista looks at Sea Hawk again, then turns and bolts. She ignores the yelling from them, noting that Sea Hawk isn’t yelling. She runs until she finds a crevice in the wall and ducks inside.

Mermista moves her braid from over her shoulder to behind her neck, flinching as she grazes her neck, then sits down with her back to the wall. Bringing her legs up and circling them with her arms, she takes a deep breath to try to sort through her emotions.

Mermista tenses as she hears a footstep and looks up, thinking about calling on the water, reaching for it even as her muscles strain. Seeing Sea Hawk, she smiles, and relaxes a bit, but refuses to move as he comes and leans against the wall across from her.

Sea Hawk leans against the wall across from Mermista, looking up at the sky and glancing at her from the corner of his eye. “Y’know, the fight made me nostalgic. Mind if we go down memory lane?” Mermista doesn’t respond and he continues. “There I was, on a daring adventure, when I, quite unexpectedly, somehow ended up on an island without my crew.” He pauses, expecting her to interject. When she doesn’t, he continues. “So, there I am, exploring the island, when I happen upon the most beautiful girl in all of Etheria.” He spots the smile forming on her face. “I approach her, being my dashing self, and she throws water at me. Me! The Great Captain Sea Hawk. Of course, I make a tasteful retreat.” Again, he pauses, waiting for her to interject. He continues when she doesn’t speak. “I return, day after day, attempting to get close to this wily woman. Who continues to throw water at me! But I advance, fearlessly! And see that this beautiful woman—a mermaid—is caught! Her tail tangled and caught up in a net! And I, being the caring soul I am, want to free her.” Mermista raises her head completely, green eyes turning back to amber, uncurling herself as Sea Hawk continues with the story. “Eventually, I advance past her deadly defenses and free her! Who then thanks me by throwing me in the ocean, leaving me to flounder and drown.” Sea Hawk looks at the floor.

Mermista lets out a small laugh. “In my defense, what kind of captain can’t swim? That’s, like, Captain 101.”

“It is! But I skipped it.” Sea Hawk looks at her. “Feeling better, dearest? Ready to go meet our friends?”

Mermista nods slowly. “Yeah, I guess.” She pauses, getting ready to say something, but decides against it. “Let’s go see the others.” **See? No, attack them. Destroy them.** She ignores the thoughts— _why am I still thinking this—_ as Sea Hawk helps her up. 


	20. Chapter 20

She stands up, ignoring the pain pulsing through her body. "Lemme guess, impromptu party?" 

Sea Hawk nods, watching her with a frown. "Are you sure you're up for this, dearest? You did fly into that cliff pretty hard."

Glancing at him, Mermista waves a hand. "I'm fine. Don't worry. But I probably won't dance or anything."

He nods, still looking worried. "If you say so, dearest." He walks up next to her, and she leans on him. "But promise you won't push yourself any further?" Mermista rolls her eyes as she nods. 

Back at the clearing, Mermista glances around, noticing that they had mostly broken into small groups. Perfuma and Frosta were with Scorpia, and.. Mermista raises an eyebrow, Perfuma is flirting heavily. Spinnerella and Netossa were hanging in the back, watching Entrapta and Hordak, which was still weird. 

Glancing around, she catches sight of Adora, Bow and Glimmer, and --- _thats Catra. They saved_ **the---Well, Little Sister is a survivor** \-- _cat before me_? 

She stays at the edge of the groups, trying to keep an eye on everyone. Sea Hawk hovers nearby, even as he chats with Spinnerella and Netossa. Eventually, Sea Hawk catches her wincing and excuses them both from the gathering. He guides Mermista away, staying to her side, making sure she can see him. 

They end up at a hotel, and he asks for a room, stating that it didn't matter if there were 2 beds or 1, either would work. He glances at Mermista, waiting for a reaction, but she doesn't respond. 

In the room, Sea Hawk glances around, noting that the door is the only exit (a big fire hazard) but he relaxes. One exit means only one entrance. Noting that there are two beds, he turns back to Mermista, who still hasn't spoken since leaving the others and he's worried. "Misty? Dear?" 

Mermista looks at him, blinking. She glances around the room and takes a step, when she crumples to the floor. Sea Hawk catches her, muttering, "I thought so. Pushed yourself too far, like always." He shifts, putting one hand under her knees. His other hand hovers at the back of her neck-- _the bandana on her neck, tight_ \--and he shakes his head, blinking the image away. 

Sea Hawk moves his hand to get shoulders and stands up, lifting Mermista easily. "Oh, Misty." He knows he's strong, he's carried Mermista multiple times before with no problems, but she feels light--too light. He sets her gently on the bed furthest from the door, covering her up, then settles on the other bed, facing the door. 

His hand drifts to the back of his neck, removing the bandana and he runs a finger over the circular scar, flinching. Shaking his head, he reties the bandana, settling in for a long night. 

Drifting off to sleep, Sea Hawk is woken by a scream. Jumping up, he unsheathes his sword, looking for the danger. Another scream and he realizes it's Mermista. Dropping his sword, he heads to her bed to try to wake her up. He pauses at the end of the bed, talking to her. "Misty! C'mon Misty, time to wake up. It's not...it's just a dream, time to wake up, Misty." Mermista bolts upright, eyes scanning the room. They land on Sea Hawk, and she beckons him forward, to join her on the bed. 

He climbs on, and Mermista snuggles into his chest, ear pressed against him. He looks down at her, a little surprised, but hugs her lightly, keeping his hands near her lower back. She whispers something, and he strains to hear her. "I think...I might love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. This chapter actually concludes this part. There will be a part two coming soon!
> 
> If you like it, drop a comment or kudos.


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